20: Chapter 20 The best firewall is to direct the fire to your neighbor.

This postscript was like a red-hot iron nail, accurately pinned into the center of Levi's thoughts.

His black eyes, which were originally calm and waveless, instantly lit up with a sharp light.

This radiance was not surprise, but a kind of excitement and focus that a project manager feels when discovering the core technical parameters of a competitor's product.

"Bring him in."

Levi ignited the slip of paper over the candle flame, watching it turn into a wisp of ash. He gave a steady command to the guards outside the door, "Take him directly to the dungeon and clear out any unrelated personnel. Also, call Evelyn back and tell her to bring that set of 'tools'."

"My Lord, Miss Evelyn is currently at the front lines..."

"Have her return." Levi interrupted the guard's words with an unquestionable decisiveness in his voice. "Tell her the client has arrived. Now I need her, the 'Product Manager', to perform a live product demonstration in front of the client."

Although the guard was completely confused, he was intimidated by the Lord's cold authority and immediately bowed to take his leave.

Half an hour later, deep within the cold and damp dungeon.

The air was thick with a strange smell mixed with blood, mold, and fear.

The captured Byron knight was held down firmly on a cold stone chair by two burly guards. His armor had been removed, leaving him in only a well-tailored linen undershirt. Now, it clung tightly to his body due to cold sweat, outlining the lean muscle lines developed from years of training.

He wasn't gagged or blindfolded, but his face was filled with a fear deeper than death.

His name was Gavin, a senior knight of the main branch of the Byron Family and also a specially trained Alchemical Breaker.

He had experienced battlefields, decapitated orcs, and escaped unscathed from noble conspiracies.

But now, he felt like a fly caught in a spider's web; every struggle only made the bindings tighter.

The heavy iron door of the dungeon let out a groan, interrupting his wandering thoughts.

Levi walked in slowly, followed by the swaying figure of Evelyn.

In the succubus's hands was a tray wrapped in velvet cloth, upon which sat a neatly arranged set of precision tools shimmering with faint magical light.

Those were Gavin's tools.

Levi didn't spare Gavin a glance, walking straight to the long stone table in front of him.

He didn't speak, merely gesturing for Evelyn to set down the tray. Then, like a connoisseur, he picked up one of the tools and examined it closely under the dim oil lamp.

It was a mithril probe slightly thinner than a finger, with a grain-sized mana-nullifying crystal embedded at the tip. The shaft was covered in energy-guiding runes as fine as hair.

"Evelyn," Levi's voice echoed in the dungeon, clear and steady, as if conducting an academic seminar. "Introduce this 'product' to me."

Gavin's heart sank abruptly.

Evelyn stepped forward, her slender fingers lightly brushing the probe. A spark of insight flashed in her purple eyes, and her voice carried the characteristic magnetic quality of a succubus: "My Lord, this is an 'Arcane Resonance Probe'. Its primary function is to use the mana-nullifying crystal at the tip to neutralize the passive defensive mana attached to runic locks. The probe itself then generates a faint arcane oscillation at a specific frequency to achieve resonance with the core nodes of the lock, thereby unlocking the first layer of the energy circuit without triggering an alarm. Judging by the craftsmanship and runic style of this probe, it is specifically designed for the 'Star Ring' series of standard defensive arrays issued by the High Elf Royal Court during the late Third Era."

After she finished, she picked up a strangely shaped pair of pliers next to it.

"This is a 'Mana Thread Cutting Pliers', used to physically snip through solidified mana nodes that cannot be bypassed through resonance. Looking at the tempering of the jaw, it can cut through energy flows equivalent to the strength of a third-circle 'Mana Shield' spell without being melted itself. A very... crude design. Clearly, the designer didn't care whether permanent damage was caused to the seal itself."

Evelyn continued introducing them one by one, from the "Elemental Neutralization Dropper" to the "Spatial Anchor Stabilizer." She not only accurately named each tool and its purpose but also analyzed its design philosophy, the targeted magic types, and possible side effects with perfect clarity.

With every word she spoke, Gavin's face grew a shade paler.

The panic in his eyes was gradually replaced by a deeper level of horror.

He had originally thought he was facing a group of country bumpkins entrenched on the border, a pack of barbarians who didn't even understand noble etiquette.

But the succubus before him—her understanding of ancient magic and alchemical tools was even more thorough than the Chief Alchemist of his family!

This wasn't intelligence analysis; this was a dimensional strike!

By the time Evelyn finished introducing the last tool, Gavin's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his breathing had become ragged.

All of his pride and hope for a lucky break had been shattered by this calm and professional analysis.

Levi had not looked at him from beginning to end. Only now did he slowly set down the probe and cast his gaze toward him.

"Knight Gavin," Levi called his name for the first time, having identified it from the family crest sewn into his undergarments. "It seems you were well-prepared. For an 'ancient ruin that might contain treasure', your family certainly spent a fortune."

He paused, then changed the subject, pulling a roll of parchment from his robe and casually spreading it out on the stone table.

It was the map obtained from the Inquisition knight, Colin.

On the map, the secret outposts and supply points of the Inquisition, marked in red ink, were exceptionally eye-catching in the dim light.

"Unfortunately, your information was a step too slow." Levi's fingertip tapped lightly on a marker on the map less than thirty kilometers from Eagles Sorrow Valley. "An elite strike team from the Hammer Inquisition will arrive here by tomorrow noon at the latest. They carry an authorization order from the Imperial Inquisition Tribunal. Their target is also the Silvermoon Ruins."

Gavin's pupils dilated suddenly.

The Inquisition?!

That name was like a cold iron pincer, tightly gripping his heart.

"Your mission has already collided with the official imperial operation." Levi's voice became soft, yet it was like a devil's whisper drilling into Gavin's ears. "Your uncle, Baron Griffin Byron, sent you here because he wanted to seize the items inside before the Empire could. Right?"

Gavin kept his mouth shut, but the violent trembling of his eyes had already betrayed him.

"An interesting situation." Levi stood up and paced slowly around the stone table, as if admiring a brilliant play. "If your mission succeeded, Baron Griffin could simply say that his nephew, Levi Byron—that is, me—was hoarding forbidden items, and he was merely acting in the name of justice to purge his own kin. In doing so, he would not only obtain the items in the ruins but also logically take over the Blackstone Territory. Two birds with one stone, a perfect plan."

"But what if... you fail?" Levi stopped pacing and looked down at him. "What if your actions are caught red-handed by the Inquisition? Do you think Baron Griffin will admit you were acting on his orders? No, he will say that you, Knight Gavin, acted on your own, driven by greed for treasure, and perhaps even conspired with heretics. At that time, the entire Byron Family will immediately cut ties with you. You will be the only one who knows the truth, and the only scapegoat."

"No... Impossible! The Baron wouldn't..." Gavin's voice was hoarse, filled with struggle.

"Nothing is impossible." Levi pushed the Inquisition map in front of him. "Tell me now, when the knights of the Inquisition discover that someone from House Byron is holding a full set of professional tools and trying to crack a ruin they have their eyes on, what will they do? Will they sit down and have tea with you, or will they simply purify all of you as heretics?"

Gavin stared intently at the map. Cold sweat slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the cold stone floor.

He was no fool.

He was very aware of the operating style of those lunatics in the Inquisition.

Levi's words were like a scalpel, precisely cutting away the last layer of loyalty to his family in his heart, revealing the bloody instinct beneath named 'self-preservation'.

Yes, once he ran into the Inquisition, he would be the pawn sacrificed without hesitation.

His breathing grew heavier and heavier, his chest heaving violently.

Finally, the taut string snapped.

"...It's the calamity core." Gavin's voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz, filled with despair. "The Baron's goal is the 'calamity core' at the deepest part of the ruins. He said... he said it's an evil object sealed since ancient times. As long as he gets it and uses it as evidence to report you to the Empire... he can legally strip you of everything in the name of the family before the Inquisition intervenes."

So that was it.

The final piece of the puzzle in Levi's mind finally fell into place.

It wasn't for treasure, but for a piece of 'evidence' to put him to death.

His dear uncle was truly calculating, planning every step without a single leak.

"Very good." Levi was satisfied with this result. He sat back down in his chair. "Now, tell me everything you know about the calamity core, as well as the detailed usage of this set of tools and the activation incantations. This is your only bargaining chip to trade for your life."

An hour later, Levi walked out of the dungeon with satisfaction.

Behind him, Evelyn was staring at Gavin, whose spirit had completely collapsed, with her eyes shimmering with purple light.

A strange mental ripple enveloped the knight. The fear and despair in his eyes were rapidly fading, replaced by a look of blankness and confusion.

"Your name is Gavin. During a routine field survey, you were unfortunately attacked by a berserk horned bear. You fell unconscious after a blow to the head. When you woke up, you found yourself lying in the woods not far from the camp. Aside from some dizziness, you have no injuries, and your equipment is intact." Evelyn's voice was like a dream, every word accurately branded into the depths of Gavin's subconscious. "You have not seen us, nor have you leaked any secrets."

This was the new order Levi had issued—memory optimization.

A dead knight would cause alarm, and a missing knight would trigger a search, but a knight who returned after an "accident" would only make his companions celebrate his good luck and not suspect he had become a programmed puppet.

Levi did not linger at the dungeon entrance. Carrying the alchemical tools he had "borrowed" from Gavin, he walked straight toward the Dwarven Workshop.

At this moment, the workshop was brightly lit. Hill was pacing back and forth anxiously, waiting for the latest instructions.

When she saw the set of tools in Levi's hand, her emerald eyes instantly froze.

"This is..." She rushed forward in one stride, snatching the tools from Levi's hand.

She almost trembled as she picked up the 'Arcane Resonance Probe' and inspected the 'Mana Thread Cutting Pliers'. Her expression grew worse and worse, finally turning almost deathly pale.

"Barbaric! Stupid! These are a butcher's knives, not a scholar's scalpels!" Hill's voice became sharp with agitation. She pointed at the tools and roared at Levi, "The person who designed this doesn't understand seals at all! He just wants to dig the thing out in the crudest way possible! Forced resonance, violent cutting... he's dismantling a bomb's fuse! Using these things to take that core, the success rate won't even exceed thirty percent! More likely, it will instantly destroy the central seal and release the thing inside... completely!"

"In other words, there's a seventy percent chance it will detonate, right?" Levi's reaction was terrifyingly calm.

"You..." Hill was choked by his cold attitude. She couldn't understand how this human Lord could remain so composed after hearing about a risk sufficient to destroy the entire Northland.

"Ms. Hill," Levi's gaze moved past her toward the alchemical runes and trigger mechanisms in the corner of the workshop used for modifying weapons. "Now, I need you to perform a small 'technical modification' on the fuse of this 'bomb'. I don't need you to increase its success rate; on the contrary, I want you to ensure that when someone activates it according to the normal procedure, it won't touch the core seal immediately."

He extended a finger and made a small gesture in the air.

"I need it to... reverse-trigger those long-abandoned but still lethal defensive traps on the periphery of the ruins. Let those stone guardians, psionic rays, and arcane mines that have slept for a thousand years give our 'clients' the warmest welcome ceremony."

Hill stared blankly at Levi. She felt as if she were gazing into a bottomless vortex.

This man's way of thinking had completely exceeded her range of understanding.

He wasn't trying to prevent a disaster; he wanted to... direct a disaster.

He wanted to let two groups of greedy invaders slaughter each other in that ancient death trap.

The night grew deeper.

At the edge of the dense forest less than a kilometer from the Byron Family camp, two scouts from Blackstone Territory gently placed an unconscious figure on the patrol's necessary path.

They carefully tucked the tampered alchemical tools back into the man's bosom, then, like ghosts, silently retreated into the darkness.

Not long after, a group of Byron knights carrying torches discovered their fallen comrade.

"It's Gavin! Quick! He's still alive!"

After completing all this, Levi returned to the main hall of the castle.

He stood before a massive sand table and picked up a shimmering communication crystal.

The crystal was activated, and from the other end came Blackfinger's heavy breathing and the sound of rocks grinding.

"My Lord, we have entered the western mine tunnel for three kilometers. There are damn forks everywhere, like a giant's intestines!"

Levi ignored the dwarf's complaint. He glanced at the moonlight outside the window, his tone flat but carrying a coldness that controlled everything.

"Blackfinger, Hill, listen to my command."

"'Product' has been successfully deployed and is expected to reach the client's hands within an hour. Competitor A (House Byron) and Competitor B (the Inquisition) will have a violent collision at the designated location within twelve hours."

"From now on, we have a twelve-hour safety window to complete the internal survey."

He took a deep breath, his voice passing through the crystal and reaching deep underground.

"Commence operation."

The light of the crystal slowly dimmed.

Levi stood quietly before the sand table as the entire castle fell into a deathly silence.

But beneath this silence, a death drama of three-way mutual devouring, directed by his own hand, had already begun.

Twelve hours... is enough.

He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the stone walls of the castle toward the mountains where the ancient calamity was buried.

Now, it was time for him to personally inspect this 'asset'.